did you put vodka in this eggnog?
by eponnia
Summary: Modern AU. Mako throws an ugly Christmas sweater party. [Maleigh one-shot]


**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Pretty much everyone is alive here and almost everyone is in the US Marines. **

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><p>Raleigh stared at the Christmas sweater tossed on his bed.<p>

It stared back.

Well, the row of teddy bears stitched on the sweater stared back at the marine. Red, black, and gold stripes alternated down the garment, snowflakes at the neck, bells lined up across the chest with reindeer on the shoulders, trees on the stomach and rocking horses on the hem, the pattern repeated on the sleeves.

Glancing at his phone, he saw he had twenty minutes to get to Mako's home where she lived with her father, Lieutenant General Stacker Pentecost. With a sigh, Raleigh shoved his phone in the back pocket of his jeans, pulled the hideous sweater over his head, and headed for the door.

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><p>"Major Becket."<p>

"Sir." Standing on the front porch of the grand home, Raleigh saluted Stacker as his commanding officer looked at his sweater with the barest hint of a smile. Stacker himself was wearing a Christmas sweater, but the blue and white knitted pullover wasn't nearly as unsightly as Raleigh's own.

"At ease, Becket. Congratulations again on making major last month."

"Thank you, sir." Raleigh brushed a few snowflakes off his sleeve. "May I come in, sir?"

"By all means." As Stacker moved aside so Raleigh could step over the threshold, he added, "I think you'll look forward to seeing Captain Hansen tonight, Becket." Without another word, his commanding officer went to greet a couple, leaving Raleigh confused.

_Why on earth would I want to see Chuck?_

He saw Tendo Choi setting up a ladder across the house, Alison by his side, before hearing his name; Raleigh turned to see Mako in a slim red sweater decorated with candy canes weaving her way through the crowd towards him. He couldn't hold back a grin as they embraced, but she stepped back too soon for his liking.

"You came!" she said, raising her soft voice to be heard over the people around them.

"I wouldn't have missed it. Do you want to get some drinks?" At Mako's nod Raleigh followed her, hearing Herman yelling at Newton even before they entered the kitchen.

"This isn't a frat party!"

"I didn't put _that_ much in," defended Newton, holding a half-empty vodka bottle in one hand. Wearing a green sweater plastered with the face of a bucktoothed Rudolph, he stirred the bowl of eggnog with the ladle.

"There are _generals_ here! And other respectable people, unlike yourself-"

"Excuse us," Mako said with a smile, reaching between them to the stacks of cups.

"The _genius_ over here spiked the eggnog, miss," Herman explained as Mako filled her cup with eggnog.

"We know," Raleigh said, filing his own cup as he took in the scientist's sweater covered in flickering Christmas lights. "We heard you yelling outside the kitchen." He couldn't conceal a grin as Herman glared daggers at a laughing Newton.

"Hey, Raleigh!"

He turned to see Herc waving to him with his left hand, right arm encased in a sling. Raleigh extended a hand to the major general as Mako bent to greet Max, the bulldog panting happily as she scratched him behind the ears.

"Good to see you," Herc said with a smile, clad in a green sweater covered in garish gold and silver tinsel.

"Likewise, sir," Raleigh said with a nod as the officer looked over his shoulder.

"Chuck! Over here!"

"What?" his son drawled as he pushed his way through the crowd. As he joined Raleigh and his father, Chuck rolled his eyes. "This is great. Just great."

"Did you plan on wearing the same sweaters?" Mako asked with a laugh.

Raleigh shook his head as Chuck answered her in a condescending tone. "Of course not."

"Watch it, Chuck," Herc said under his breath.

"Mako! Mako!" Raleigh looked over to see the Wei Tang triplets waving at her from the stairs, and she looked up at him.

"I'll find you later."

"See you." Mako left with a smile, disappearing in the crowd.

"Did you get yours at Walmart?" Raleigh asked, turning back to Herc and Chuck and gesturing to the latter's sweater with his cup of eggnog, nearly spilling some over the rim.

"Yeah." Chuck leaned against the refrigerator, the captain crossing his arms over his chest. "So why did you come? To get into Mako's pants while Stacker's distracted?"

Raleigh nearly punched Chuck as Herc barked, "Watch your mouth!" He gave Raleigh a curt nod. "Good to see you again."

"You too, sir." Raleigh watched as Herc gave Chuck a small shove out the doorway of the kitchen, seeing other partygoers walking into the living room as Stacker's voice carried over the noise of the crowd. As he followed, he saw his commanding officer holding his cup in the air as everyone gathered in a circle around him.

"I'd like to make a toast," the lieutenant general said. "Thank you all for coming. I know a Christmas sweater party isn't everyone's idea of a good time, but Mako and I appreciate it." Raleigh made eye contact with Mako for a moment across the mass of people, and she looked away with a smile as her adoptive father continued.

"I would like to take a moment to remember the men and women we lost this year." He paused for a moment as silence fell. "Without their sacrifice, we might not be here today. Here's to them, and here's to the new year. May it be brighter than this one."

He took a sip from his glass as everyone else copied his action. Raleigh watched as the lieutenant general stilled, swallowed, and lowered his glass slowly.

"Captain Hansen."

"Yes, sir?"

"Did you put vodka in this eggnog?"

Chuck smirked. "This time? No, sir."

Raleigh saw Stacker's gaze shift to Aleksis and Sasha. The former shook his head silently, though Sasha spoke disdainfully in a low tone. "We know to keep vodka and eggnog separate."

There was a sudden crash; Max's bark broke the silence that followed. Raleigh looked over the crowd to see Newton standing from tripping over a chair near the edge of the circle. Seeing everyone staring at him, he gave a nervous smile. "What? It doesn't hurt to shake things up a bit." He turned and raised his hands in mock defense as a furious Herman hurried after him.

Stacker sighed as he watched the two scientists argue. "Dismissed," he said to the crowd, taking one more drink from his glass before moving to toss it in a trashcan.

"Mako!" Raleigh called just as Allison said her name. Mako looked over her shoulder to mouth _one minute_ before heading towards Alison.

"Hey Raleigh!" Tendo appeared seemingly out of nowhere and clapped him on the shoulder. "How are you?"

"Good. You?" he replied as Tendo steered him through the crowd; Raleigh saw Alison talking to Mako under a doorway leading to the large dining room, something green on the top of the doorframe.

"I'm good. Oh look, there's Alison. She told me she wanted to say hello to you. Alison!" Tendo called to his wife as he and Raleigh approached.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Raleigh said as Alison and Mako paused their conversation.

"Oh, it's not a problem," Alison said with a smile, stepping forward to embrace him. As she moved back, she looked over her shoulder. "Mako, come here." Guiding the other woman by a hand on the small of her back, Alison all but pushed Mako towards Raleigh and stepped back.

"Hey look, you're under the mistletoe," Tendo commented in a tone that was far too loud to be casual. As Raleigh and Mako stood together, the people around them looked over and starting murmuring.

"I didn't notice the mistletoe go up."

"Would you look at that."

"They're right under it."

"Aren't you going to kiss?"

Raleigh looked over at Tendo. "You planned this, didn't you?"

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Tendo said, wrapping his arm around Alison.

"Well, go on," someone called out. "Kiss already!"

Raleigh returned his gaze back down at Mako, who looked up at him with wide dark eyes. Raising an eyebrow, he put a gentle hand under her chin, moving slowly to give her time to step away if she wished. In response, she smiled and rose up on her toes to kiss him full on the mouth.

As the people around them cheered, he put his hands on her hips as he deepened the kiss, fingering the hem of her sweater. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down further, he started to slip his hands under her sweater, but froze as he heard a distinctive cough.

Mako was the first to break the kiss as Raleigh looked over to see Stacker watching them, Chuck smirking behind him. She tugged at the hem of her sweater, blushing, as Raleigh ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm going to get a drink," Mako said softly.

"That sounds like a good idea."

As they walked together to the kitchen, Raleigh clasped Mako's hand, and she laced her fingers through his.

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: And that ends my second <em>Pacific Rim<em> and second Maleigh fic. Merry Christmas!**


End file.
